The invention relates to a portable exercising system for animals such as horses. The system is transportable to a desired location where it can be set up quickly for use on a temporary or periodic basis. Thereafter, the system can be dismantled and stored on a support, such as a trailer, for transport to a different location for use at that location.
A number of exercising devices are available for animals such as horses. Older devices, such as that disclosed in Shedd U.S. Pat. No. 317,865, included rotatable arms to which the horse or horses can be tethered and worked. This device is designed and intended to safely work wild horses, but is deficient and dangerous to the horses since they are tethered to a bridle or their necks and can risk injury when attempting to pull lose from the tether. More recent patents, such as Bergmann et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,056 and Karanges U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,380, disclose concentrically arranged, permanently installed fences which define a circular pathway therebetween. In the center of the circles, a vertical, rotatable shaft is mounted. The shaft supports a plurality of horizontal arms, typically four, each of which terminate in a hanging grid or gate that is supplied with an electrical charge. As the arms rotate, the grids move circumferentially along the path. Horses can be placed on the path between the grids and are urged to exercise such as to walk by the movement of the gates, since if the horses stop, they are contacted by the gates and receive an electrical shock that urges them to move. A similar device known as the Exer-Ciser is commercially available from Elite Equestrian Products, Sulphur, Ky.
While these devices are somewhat useful, they require a permanent installation of the fencing that defines the path. This requires greater expense for installation, and requires sufficient open area in order to facilitate the installation and maintenance of such permanent installation. There are many situations where exercising space for animals is at a premium, or where temporary exercising installations are required. Thus, the present invention now satisfies these needs by providing a device that improves upon the shortcomings of the prior art.